Jesus Breaks Our Chains
Sermon
Sermons on the Gospel Readings
Series I, Cycle A
He was chained, held bound in a life of torment and blasphemy. In the end, however, God would set him free. John Newton, a name probably not familiar to many of us, was born in July, 1725, to a pious English woman and her seafaring husband. From his earliest days, young Newton was attracted to his father's side of the family and to the life at sea. Thus, when he was only eleven years old he became an apprentice aboard his father's vessel, a cargo ship which ferried products throughout the major ports of the Mediterranean region. To say the least at this time in his life John Newton did not know God. Those with whom he associated for the most part on his father's ship were criminals, rogues, and other "undesirables" of society, many of whom were sent to Captain Newton's ship as punishment for some offense in England.
When Newton was nineteen he became a midshipman on another vessel. After only one year, however, he was publicly flogged for insubordination. Despite this event, and most probably with the help of his father, John was able to secure a commission and a few years later his own vessel, a slave trading ship. John Newton commanded a vessel which ferried Africans from their native land to the American colonies. He was good at what he did. He carried out his duties fully and with precision. Still, he felt chained, trapped; he was unable to release himself.
This all changed one night in 1748. That evening, while at sea, Newton's slave ship was caught in a vicious storm. Waves crashed over the bow and the ship was tossed about like a toy. Through the skill of the captain and his crew, the ship and all personnel were saved. The experience, however, changed Newton forever. He felt the chains that held him bound begin to weaken. It took seven more years, but finally, in 1755, John Newton gave up the slave trade and his life at sea. That same year he met John Wesley and George Whitefield, two Episcopal clergymen who at that time were the leaders in the Evangelical revival which would lead to foundation of Methodism in the United States. In 1764, Newton himself was ordained an Episcopal priest. He became a well--known preacher and was the one of the first members of what later became known as the Abolitionist Movement, with such leaders as Daniel O'Connell in Ireland and William Lloyd Garrison in the United States. It was in 1779, however, that Newton wrote some famous words, autobiographical in nature, that are familiar to us all. "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind but now I see." Yes, John Newton wrote the words to "Amazing Grace." He was held bound in a life he did not want. In the end, God was the one who set him free.
The life of John Newton serves as a good example to illustrate one central and important idea in today's gospel. Lazarus, representative in John's Gospel for all men and women, was held in the bonds of death, chains from which he could not be released. But Jesus, in an action which led to his own death, breaks the chains of Lazarus' confinement and sets him free. We will one day find ourselves in the chains of death and it is highly unlikely that Jesus will raise us like Lazarus, but our day--to--day journey in life finds us numerous times in various forms of chains from which we need to find release. Jesus is the one who can release us and set us free.
Today's gospel poses an interesting question that might have come to you as it has to me on several occasions: Why were Jesus, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus such good friends? What was the nature of their relationship? We do not know the answers, but we do know that they were very close. Why then does Jesus linger for three days when he learns that one of his best friends is sick, possibly to the point of death? Would any of us so linger if we could go to the aid of one of our friends who needed us? Hopefully not. Jesus answers this question, saying that Lazarus' illness is to show God's glory. We might take that one step further and say that Jesus lingered so that the Spirit could set Lazarus and all people free from death, not just physical death, but more importantly the deadness that exists inside each one of us in different ways. Jesus says "I am the resurrection and the life." If anyone believes in Jesus, that one will never be without hope. If anyone believes in the Lord that one will never die without the Spirit. Jesus wants Martha, Mary, and all those present, and you and I as well, to know that his presence is not so much to raise us from physical death but to restore hope to all and unchain us from all that holds us back from being the fullness of who we want to be. The words of Jesus at the end of the gospel are powerful indeed, "Unbind him and let him go." Jesus has removed the shackles and chains, the cloth of death from Lazarus. It can be that way for all of us as well.
We know well that God has always been active on behalf of God's people in releasing us from the bonds of this earth's existence. We remember that God broke the shackles of the Israelites in bondage in Egypt through the work of God's servant Moses. Later, God sent the judges and the prophets, the Deborahs and the Esthers, the Isaiahs as well, to guide the people to a better life and understanding of God's way. Ezekiel, one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, wrote to the Hebrews while they were in exile in Babylon. Yes, the people were suffering from the physical confinement and isolation from their homeland, but the psychological bonds were probably greater. The people were without hope, they were living in despair. The people most assuredly felt that God had abandoned them, that their fate might be like that of their northern neighbors, the land of Israel, which has been overrun by the Assyrians and lost to history 150 years earlier. But Ezekiel, among others, tells the people that God will breathe life into the community once more. In a famous passage in chapter 37:1--14, the prophet speaks of God bringing life again to the Hebrews who are seen metaphorically as a field of dry bones. As the dry bones come together, with sinews and flesh, and the breath of life is given them, so God will bring life once more to the Hebrews and return them to their land. God will break through the chains that hold the people bound in exile and return them to their land. A new day will dawn and a new spring will blossom.
Yes, God's rescue of the Hebrew people from the land of Babylon and Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead demonstrate the faithfulness of God in unleashing us from all that binds us. All of us are bound, dead in some way or another. Maybe some of us are held bound by the cares of this world, which have such a strong and popular attraction these days. People seemingly cannot break from the materialism that constantly vies for our attention and calls us to seek to be rich in the eyes of the world. We spend a lot of time "keeping up with the Joneses" and in the process we become trapped in the rat race of contemporary society. For others, a burden in our family, at work, or in the community where we live, might have hold of us and will not let go. Many people must carry heavy crosses in walking the journey of ill health or addiction suffered by a member of their family. Sometimes relationships at work or with our neighbors are tenuous and we feel there is no way to adequately respond or mend the situation. Thus, we choose the easy way out and do nothing. Yet, the problem is not solved and, thus, we are held as a prisoner in a relationship that needs healing. Others are chained by some situation which will not give release. Some may be prisoners of the past, of sin, and falsely believe that no one cares. Many people carry heavy burdens of guilt which are often self--imposed. We cannot forgive ourselves even though others let go many years ago. There are times, as well, that we make ourselves prisoners by our refusal to forgive others. We feel that our anger will somehow make the other person feel badly, but the reality is that such an attitude only hurts ourselves and keeps us as prisoners.
Through our chains, our bonds, there will be a certain sense of dying. Lazarus was caught in the trap of physical death and maybe other forms of death of which we are not aware. The Hebrews were victims of the death of despair, hopelessness, and isolation. Through the action of Christ, the one who brings the light as he reminds his apostles in today's gospel, we are released from all that chains us. All we need is to be open to the action of God in our lives. We can be certain that God is active, for the Spirit sent into the world to guide and direct our every action, is ever--present and faithful. The Spirit can release us from all that binds us. The walking dead, those who are held bound are all around us. They are here today; we are they. There is an answer; there is a release. Jesus says, "Unbind him and let him go." Jesus is the one who can untie us from all that chains us in this life. Let us give our lives over to the Lord so that he can break the bonds that hold us in this life, and, in the end, tie us to God forever in the eternal life that we all hope to share!
When Newton was nineteen he became a midshipman on another vessel. After only one year, however, he was publicly flogged for insubordination. Despite this event, and most probably with the help of his father, John was able to secure a commission and a few years later his own vessel, a slave trading ship. John Newton commanded a vessel which ferried Africans from their native land to the American colonies. He was good at what he did. He carried out his duties fully and with precision. Still, he felt chained, trapped; he was unable to release himself.
This all changed one night in 1748. That evening, while at sea, Newton's slave ship was caught in a vicious storm. Waves crashed over the bow and the ship was tossed about like a toy. Through the skill of the captain and his crew, the ship and all personnel were saved. The experience, however, changed Newton forever. He felt the chains that held him bound begin to weaken. It took seven more years, but finally, in 1755, John Newton gave up the slave trade and his life at sea. That same year he met John Wesley and George Whitefield, two Episcopal clergymen who at that time were the leaders in the Evangelical revival which would lead to foundation of Methodism in the United States. In 1764, Newton himself was ordained an Episcopal priest. He became a well--known preacher and was the one of the first members of what later became known as the Abolitionist Movement, with such leaders as Daniel O'Connell in Ireland and William Lloyd Garrison in the United States. It was in 1779, however, that Newton wrote some famous words, autobiographical in nature, that are familiar to us all. "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind but now I see." Yes, John Newton wrote the words to "Amazing Grace." He was held bound in a life he did not want. In the end, God was the one who set him free.
The life of John Newton serves as a good example to illustrate one central and important idea in today's gospel. Lazarus, representative in John's Gospel for all men and women, was held in the bonds of death, chains from which he could not be released. But Jesus, in an action which led to his own death, breaks the chains of Lazarus' confinement and sets him free. We will one day find ourselves in the chains of death and it is highly unlikely that Jesus will raise us like Lazarus, but our day--to--day journey in life finds us numerous times in various forms of chains from which we need to find release. Jesus is the one who can release us and set us free.
Today's gospel poses an interesting question that might have come to you as it has to me on several occasions: Why were Jesus, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus such good friends? What was the nature of their relationship? We do not know the answers, but we do know that they were very close. Why then does Jesus linger for three days when he learns that one of his best friends is sick, possibly to the point of death? Would any of us so linger if we could go to the aid of one of our friends who needed us? Hopefully not. Jesus answers this question, saying that Lazarus' illness is to show God's glory. We might take that one step further and say that Jesus lingered so that the Spirit could set Lazarus and all people free from death, not just physical death, but more importantly the deadness that exists inside each one of us in different ways. Jesus says "I am the resurrection and the life." If anyone believes in Jesus, that one will never be without hope. If anyone believes in the Lord that one will never die without the Spirit. Jesus wants Martha, Mary, and all those present, and you and I as well, to know that his presence is not so much to raise us from physical death but to restore hope to all and unchain us from all that holds us back from being the fullness of who we want to be. The words of Jesus at the end of the gospel are powerful indeed, "Unbind him and let him go." Jesus has removed the shackles and chains, the cloth of death from Lazarus. It can be that way for all of us as well.
We know well that God has always been active on behalf of God's people in releasing us from the bonds of this earth's existence. We remember that God broke the shackles of the Israelites in bondage in Egypt through the work of God's servant Moses. Later, God sent the judges and the prophets, the Deborahs and the Esthers, the Isaiahs as well, to guide the people to a better life and understanding of God's way. Ezekiel, one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, wrote to the Hebrews while they were in exile in Babylon. Yes, the people were suffering from the physical confinement and isolation from their homeland, but the psychological bonds were probably greater. The people were without hope, they were living in despair. The people most assuredly felt that God had abandoned them, that their fate might be like that of their northern neighbors, the land of Israel, which has been overrun by the Assyrians and lost to history 150 years earlier. But Ezekiel, among others, tells the people that God will breathe life into the community once more. In a famous passage in chapter 37:1--14, the prophet speaks of God bringing life again to the Hebrews who are seen metaphorically as a field of dry bones. As the dry bones come together, with sinews and flesh, and the breath of life is given them, so God will bring life once more to the Hebrews and return them to their land. God will break through the chains that hold the people bound in exile and return them to their land. A new day will dawn and a new spring will blossom.
Yes, God's rescue of the Hebrew people from the land of Babylon and Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead demonstrate the faithfulness of God in unleashing us from all that binds us. All of us are bound, dead in some way or another. Maybe some of us are held bound by the cares of this world, which have such a strong and popular attraction these days. People seemingly cannot break from the materialism that constantly vies for our attention and calls us to seek to be rich in the eyes of the world. We spend a lot of time "keeping up with the Joneses" and in the process we become trapped in the rat race of contemporary society. For others, a burden in our family, at work, or in the community where we live, might have hold of us and will not let go. Many people must carry heavy crosses in walking the journey of ill health or addiction suffered by a member of their family. Sometimes relationships at work or with our neighbors are tenuous and we feel there is no way to adequately respond or mend the situation. Thus, we choose the easy way out and do nothing. Yet, the problem is not solved and, thus, we are held as a prisoner in a relationship that needs healing. Others are chained by some situation which will not give release. Some may be prisoners of the past, of sin, and falsely believe that no one cares. Many people carry heavy burdens of guilt which are often self--imposed. We cannot forgive ourselves even though others let go many years ago. There are times, as well, that we make ourselves prisoners by our refusal to forgive others. We feel that our anger will somehow make the other person feel badly, but the reality is that such an attitude only hurts ourselves and keeps us as prisoners.
Through our chains, our bonds, there will be a certain sense of dying. Lazarus was caught in the trap of physical death and maybe other forms of death of which we are not aware. The Hebrews were victims of the death of despair, hopelessness, and isolation. Through the action of Christ, the one who brings the light as he reminds his apostles in today's gospel, we are released from all that chains us. All we need is to be open to the action of God in our lives. We can be certain that God is active, for the Spirit sent into the world to guide and direct our every action, is ever--present and faithful. The Spirit can release us from all that binds us. The walking dead, those who are held bound are all around us. They are here today; we are they. There is an answer; there is a release. Jesus says, "Unbind him and let him go." Jesus is the one who can untie us from all that chains us in this life. Let us give our lives over to the Lord so that he can break the bonds that hold us in this life, and, in the end, tie us to God forever in the eternal life that we all hope to share!
